We got this a lot when Holden was young and I’m not exactly sure why. My Uncle was up one day and from about an instant in meeting him, that was his exact comment. He was about a year-and-a-half at the time and was eating in his highchair at the time. Hard to get any sense, but others say the same thing when they meet him. It must have something to do with his general demeanor, he must exude something others pick up on.
Not only do other people pick up on it, but it’s true, at least I think so. He throws very few tantrums, in fact he lost control about 3-4 times before he hit the age of two. I just pulled him away from the crowd and we sat together quietly reading a book. In fact, no one else really noticed he was losing his cool, but I saw that he was getting pretty worked out. Incidentally it was probably because he hadn’t been in his bed for a few nights and was pretty busy exploring his Nan’s house. Overall, when my son lost control it’s benign. He’ll whine a bit before getting corrected and as quickly as he starts up, he’s over being told “no.”
I credit a lot of it to him learning to sign, also to our relaxed attitude and consistent management style. We never allow him to part us in anyway and when either one of us sets a rule, it becomes fixed. In case you are wondering, yes, he will still try to divide us in effort to conquer despite never having had it work. Yeah, sometimes we’ll defer to one another, but only if one of us is too tired to resolve the situation. I’m not saying any of this to brag, we are by no means the perfect parents. However doing our best is the key to raising a happy kid. Signs have also helped us in creating a structured world for all of us. Signs have also eased our son into a world that can often seem scary and full of chaos. We hope that you will carry on with signing as long as your baby is interested to use them as they can be a great blessing when your child is facing issues beyond words. Please keep in mind how signing is more than just language, it’s a way to connect to others and a way to make sense of the various things about the environment as well as emotions and thoughts that come from within a child. Keep signing and teach your baby as early as you can about what your baby is seeing, hearing, and feeling. You’re pay-off will come with a well-adjusted baby, then toddler, child, then adult!